Comer Continues Investigation of Biden Administration’s Political Abuse of Quiet Skies Program

WASHINGTON—As part of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s oversight of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) politicized Quiet Skies program, Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) today is calling on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to provide documents that the Biden Administration refused to provide the Committee. Additionally, Chairman Comer requests a staff level briefing regarding DHS’s recent findings concerning the political abuse of the Quiet Skies program. 

“The Committee commends the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Trump Administration for its recent decision to terminate [the Quiet Skies] program. This necessary action addresses longstanding concerns regarding the program’s ineffectiveness and politicization under the Biden Administration. To assist the Committee in its oversight efforts, we are requesting documents and information regarding the Quiet Skies program,” wrote Chairman Comer.

The Quiet Skies program was purportedly intended to identify and monitor travelers who may pose a security risk but are not on government watchlists, using behavioral indicators and travel patterns to flag individuals for enhanced screening by Federal Air Marshals. In August 2024, the Oversight Committee conducted oversight of the Quiet Skies program after reports of political abuse, but the Biden Administration failed to provide all of the documents requested by the Committee. Public reporting and documents obtained by the Oversight Committee reveal a troubling pattern of selective enforcement under the program. High-profile individuals, including spouses of Democratic officials, received exemptions despite documented security concerns, while figures who opposed policies of the Biden Administration faced enhanced scrutiny and surveillance. 

“Recent evidence uncovered by DHS confirms the Committee’s concerns about the systematic politicization of aviation security protocols. The program’s $200 million annual cost proved unjustifiable given its failure to prevent a single terrorist incident, while simultaneously serving as a mechanism for preferential treatment based on political affiliations rather than legitimate security considerations,” continued Chairman Comer.“The maintenance of secret exclusion lists comprising foreign dignitaries, athletes, and select journalists, created an unequal system that undermined both security effectiveness and constitutional principles of equal treatment. Such practices represent a fundamental departure from proper administrative procedures and merit thorough congressional examination.”

Read the letter to Secretary Kristi Noem here.